2 B.C. men charged after allegedly stealing $1,400 worth of butter

Two men in their 20s are facing theft-related charges after allegedly stealing $1,400 worth of butter from a Coquitlam grocery store.

The two men, ages 23 and 25, are facing charges of theft under $5,000, Coquitlam police said in a news release Thursday. The pair were arrested outside a supermarket just after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Cpl. Michael McLaughlin admitted in a statement that while stealing a large amount of butter is a little unusual, police tend to see these sort of thefts with other kinds of food.

“Things like cheese, meat and baby formula can easily be sold on the black market,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s possible these suspects were choosing the wrong way to get a head start on their Christmas baking.”

The 23-year-old man is also a suspect in at least three other butter thefts around Metro Vancouver in recent months, police said.